Guinea-Bissau — books & literature

The story of Guinea-Bissau

Long before European contact, the region that is now Guinea-Bissau was home to the Kaabu kingdom, a powerful successor state of the Mali Empire, and to the matrilineal Bijagó people of its coastal archipelago. Portuguese explorers reached the coast around 1446 and the area became a hub of the transatlantic slave trade and later a Portuguese colonial territory known as Portuguese Guinea, administered jointly with Cape Verde until 1879. In 1956, agronomist and poet Amílcar Cabral co-founded the PAIGC, which launched an armed independence struggle in 1963 , one of the most effective anti-colonial guerrilla campaigns in Africa. Cabral was assassinated in January 1973, months before the PAIGC unilaterally declared independence that September; Portugal formally recognized the new nation in 1974. Guinea-Bissau added 'Bissau' to its name to distinguish itself from neighbouring Guinea. Independence brought decades of political instability, coups, and a devastating 1998-1999 civil war, yet the country has continued to rebuild democratic institutions while its cashew harvest sustains most rural livelihoods and the Bijagós Archipelago remains one of West Africa's great ecological treasures.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 1446

   Portuguese explorers reach the coast, beginning centuries of trade contact.

2. 1879

   Portuguese Guinea is administratively separated from Cape Verde.

3. 1956

   Amílcar Cabral co-founds the PAIGC, launching the independence movement.

4. 1963

   Armed struggle for independence begins against Portuguese colonial rule.

5. 1973 (20 January)

   Amílcar Cabral is assassinated in Conakry, months before independence.

6. 1973 (24 September)

   The PAIGC unilaterally declares independence.

7. 1974 (10 September)

   Portugal formally recognizes Guinea-Bissau's independence.

8. 1980

   João Bernardo Vieira seizes power in a coup.

9. 1998-1999

   Civil war devastates Bissau and the national economy.

10. 2014

    José Mário Vaz is elected president amid renewed efforts at political stability.

Top 10 things to know about Guinea-Bissau

1. Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world yet is among the largest exporters of cashew nuts globally.
2. The name 'Guinea-Bissau' adds the capital's name to distinguish the country from neighbouring Guinea (former French Guinea).
3. The Bijagós Archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of roughly 88 islands and islets, lies off its Atlantic coast.
4. Amílcar Cabral, assassinated before independence was declared, is regarded as one of Africa's foremost anti-colonial theorists.
5. Portuguese is the official language, but Guinea-Bissau Kriol (Crioulo) is the everyday lingua franca.
6. The country has experienced numerous coups and coup attempts since gaining independence in the 1970s.
7. Independence followed an 11-year armed struggle (1963-1974) against Portuguese colonial rule.
8. The currency, the West African CFA franc, is shared with several other West African nations.
9. Cashew exports account for the large majority of the country's export earnings.
10. The Bijagó people of the archipelago follow a matrilineal tradition unusual in West Africa, where women choose their husbands.

Famous people from Guinea-Bissau

Say it in Guinea-Bissau's language

Did you know?

• ★Amílcar Cabral was assassinated just months before the independence he had fought for was declared.
• ★On the Bijagós islands, women traditionally choose their husbands , a rare matrilineal custom in West Africa.
• ★Guinea-Bissau added its capital's name to the country's own specifically to avoid confusion with the country of Guinea.

Guinea-Bissau culture

• Cashew trees and their annual harvest dominate rural life and the national economy.
• Kriolu (Guinea-Bissau Creole) unites more than 20 ethnic groups as the everyday shared language.
• Gumbe, a fusion of local rhythms with Afro-Caribbean influences, is the country's signature popular music style.
• The Bijagó people maintain distinctive matrilineal customs and island-based initiation ceremonies.

Why read Guinea-Bissau's books

Guinea-Bissau's literature grew out of a revolutionary tradition , Amílcar Cabral wrote poetry and political theory alongside his fight for independence , and continues today through novelists and poets giving voice to Kriolu culture and post-independence life.